Charter Spring
| occupation = (Former); | residence = | alias = Takaoni (鷹鬼 Takaoni, literally meaning "Demon Hawk") | epithet = | jva = | Funi eva = | 4kids eva = | doriki = | age = 38 | status = Alive | birth = July 21st | height = 294 cm (9'7") | dfname = Nuka Nuka no Mi | dfename = Sludge-Sludge Fruit | dfmeaning = Sludge | dftype = }} Charter Spring II is the current who was once a member of the Marines. A skilled swordsman, he has dethroned numerous pirates across the seas and imprisoned them within . He is feared even amongst the marines for his fearless attitude and disciplinary persona, to whom he is more commonly known as Takaoni. Spring has made a career out of patronizing pirates, and has taken it upon himself to ensure that they are brought to justice. Long ago, Spring was the heir to the Sung Kingdom and spent his early years within the confines of nobility. However, due to his own lack of care as a child, his reckless endeavors eventually led to the destruction of the entire island, plaguing him an ordinary human as a result. With his fortunes gone up in flames, Spring was forced to adjust to life as a slave under the reign of pirates until being rescued by the marines. Following such events, he enlisted within the navy immediately and garnered the belief that nothing in life is ever guaranteed; such views would later play an instrumental role in shaping his future, as it was by those exact motives that he was able to achieve great success as a marine. He has most recently, yet again, been nominated to fill the vacant admiral position within the navy, after his success in capturing the Moon Pirates alongside fellow vice-admiral Funori. However, as he had done many times in the past, Spring solemnly refused the promotion, so as to remain distant from the politics of the . Appearance Spring appears as an incredibly tall man in his middle ages with what can best be described as very thick, wavy black hair. This mane was the basis of much admiration in his past years; stemming from nobility, it was what solidified his relation to the original Charter Spring, better known as the ruler of the Sung Kingdom. In contrast to his thick hair, Spring has very thin eyebrows, and droopy eyes to match his disciplinary persona. These eyes of his are said to cast judgement upon all others from the very second Spring's gaze is positioned on them. He also has very thick lips and a complimentary goatee shaped like a pyramid just beneath. As a marine, Spring dresses to impress. While he owns several other outfits and various other uniforms, the attire he cherishes most comes in the form of a dark lavender jacket plastered over a crimson red undershirt and topped off with a cream white tie. Over all of this, he can be seen adorned within his marine officer coat, of which possesses the extraordinary red shoulder-pad, making Spring one of the few vice admirals within the entirety of the Navy to have special epaulets that differ from the ordinary blue coloring. Along the left side of his chest, a medal of honor can be seen worn on his coat, rewarded only to the finest of marines. Spring carries his katana in its sheath along his right hip. During his childhood, Spring's physical appearance differed greatly. For one, his hair was groomed daily and kept much shorter. He was also able to obtain essentially anything his heart desired simply by asking his father, which led to him having an incredibly versatile wardrobe. As a lowly cadet within the navy, Spring fashioned himself in a white collared shirt and brown trousers. A cap bearing the insignia of the world government sat atop his head. Spring started growing his hair out around the time of his promotion to rear admiral. Personality In more ways than one, Spring embodies the moral codes of the world government to its very core. He is an incredibly well disciplined man who always abides to the laws instructed by his superiors. There is a phathomal loyalty that encompasses his heart in regards to the marines; because he credits the organization as a whole to being his one and only savior, he expresses absolutely no hesitation in placing his life on the line to carry out their orders. As thus, it would only be natural that he serves them diligently, bearing unprecedented respect for his superiors, and never questioning anything they ask of him. This sort of mentality has made him the subject of much scrutiny in the eyes of his inferiors; however, the higher ups seem to favor him especially for this reason. There is no limit to the amount of work Spring will do, apparently, and whenever there is an assignment, he appears to be the one who is approached about it first. With his subordinates, however, Spring can be quite unforgiving. He is shown to be much more rash when in their presence, often referring to them not by name, but rather their rank within the military. He also holds no more than a business like relationship with those he associates himself with, keeping things strictly professional and nothing more. Additionally, because he carries himself with so much pride, Spring is essentially immune to all constraints of pleasure, and does not succumb to what he refers to as "humanly desires". According to himself, he is completely sober, and cannot be spotted smoking a cigar. He looks down upon those that take part in such devilish festivities, as in his opinion, they are weak in the mind. Disturbances that take away from his work are all treated as shortcomings for Spring. He believes that in order for one to accomplish the greatest caliber of success, they must be more than just devoted --they must learn to sacrifice. Spring has remained a virgin and bachelor for this very reason. Spring is a firm believer of fate, and what it foretells. Because his own life experiences, he has come to see the world from another perspective, one that is essentially deprived of hope and lacks comfort. He believes that while all things most certainly happen for a reason, no one is capable of shaping their own future, because of how vast the world truly is. Anything can happen when one least expects it to, or so he solemnly perceives. For this reason, Spring is not the slightest of optimistic about carrying promises, as their operations may very well be out of his control. Even then, he remains one of the navy's top tier powers, and has come a long way in terms of strength. His belief extends far enough to the point where he believes that a person's life is set in stone; no matter their greatest of efforts, whatever is written in their future in not changeable. While he appears calm on most instances, truly, there is a nasty temper that resides within Spring's being, waiting for an excuse to awaken. This is largely the case in his several battles, whereby even so much as a glimpse of a pirate will lead him on a berserk rampage, emphasizing his hatred towards the opposing sea dwellers. However, because he is so frequently agitated, it is no longer a weakness; if this were to be the case, his position as vice admiral would likely not have been obtainable, due to his lack of control over his own emotions. But rather, Spring has learned to channel his stern personality and translate it into battle. When angered, his power is said to multiply, and he appears to be under more concentration. Depending on his level of anger, even his veins are known to be able to bulge out from his forehead. Abilities and Powers As a vice admiral class marine, Spring has full authority over a wide range of subordinates, including those who are inferior to him in rank. He has been shown leading a buster call alongside others of his rank, a privilege only awarded to a select few of his position, further emphasizing his place within the navy. His strength is acknowledged by many across the seas, with many knowing of his existence, and so much as the mention of his name being enough to invoke fear through an entire city. He garners respect from even his greatest of enemies, namely several infamous pirates. A testament to his position within the Navy is evident upon his uniform; he garners the incredibly rare red shoulder-pads, and has been widely considered for the position of admiral on several occasions, though has humbly refused such promotions each and every time. Haki Spring, being a high ranking officer of the navy, has access to haki, which he learned to utilize as a part of his training in his youth. He has shown formidable prowess with it since, namely Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki, the latter of which is used to coat his katana, increasing both its attacking capabilities and durability, and also granting him the ability to harm logia class devil fruit users, while the former is garnered to locate and differentiate amongst various types of enemies. Weapons Ameseika no Kumoi (雨精華雲居; Literally meaning "Fallen Flower from the Sky") is one of the 50 Ryo Wazamono Grade Swords. It is also renowned as one of the few "blessed blades" across the seas, known to grant its wielder with a substantial amount of good luck. Attributed to its status as one of the blessed blades, the katana has a pure white blade that glitters under the sunlight. It also has a flower-like golden cross guard, a silver hilt-wrapping, and a dark grey sheathe. The sword was crafted by Apee Lolo, a blacksmith who served the Sung Kingdom sometime during the Void Century. It was then wielded by numerous swordsman before it was eventually retired as a valuable artifact and kept within a museum. However, it was stolen by pirates after sometime, thereby surviving the destruction of the island, and coincidentally fell within the hands of Charter Spring II, where it has remained over the better part of the last two decades. Now within the hands of Charter Spring II, the katana has become his primary means of combat. It has proven itself capable of enduring his devil fruit abilities, growing all the more potent when working in tandem with the sludge Spring can produce from his body. History Spring was born within the Sung Kingdom as the first son of Charter Spring, the then ruler of the island, and thereby inherited the name of his father to signify the progression of a dynasty. As a child, Spring was raised within the Sung Palace by numerous nannies, as each time he expressed enough sorrow to cry, his caretaker was immediately fired as recomposition. Upon being born, Spring had been told of his lineage as a prince and was educated to properly meet the role for the future. He was heavily pampered and showered by enormous restraints of love by both parents, and was able to obtain anything his heart desired simply by asking his father. An example of this was on his seventh birthday, when Spring was gifted a by an who had attended the celebration, simply by asking within the presence of his father. This ultimately led to the destruction of the Sung Kingdom several weeks later, when Spring accidentally triggered the switch while playing with the rest of his toys. The buster call was Spring's very first taste of agony. Beforehand, everything had always gone his way; however, no matter how much power and authority his family possessed, there was nothing they could do to prevent the island from meeting its end when the button on the slug had been triggered. Faster than they could call out for help or escape, numerous fleets arrived within the blink of an eye and rained fire upon the Sung Kingdom and its many citizens. The island was reduced to dust in a matter of moments, with all but the entire population count fitted for complete annihilation. The only ones to survive the tragic incident were those comprising the royal party of the Sung Kingdom, most notably Spring and his family. With the destruction of their homeland, the Spring family was forced to relocate elsewhere. However, because their valuables had been left behind during the buster call, and as a result, caught within the island's destruction, the family had lost all constraints of their authority and had been severely downgraded into an ordinary family in terms of status. This change of lifestyle was incredibly invigorating for the likes of Spring II, who simply could not tolerate the amount of toys he was limited to, as well as the amount of money that sat within his father's pockets. Life as an ordinary person was tough to adjust to, especially for a family that had never once considered it in the past. Among several other series of unfortunate events, Spring's family grew incredibly poor. Because his parents hadn't the slightest of ideas as to how to go about existing in a timely fashion, there was very little work they could do with their minimal skillsets. Food was scarce within the household, which was more often than not filled with the sounds of their aching bellies. Spring was forced to work within the mines of the village they had relocated to, something he cursed on a daily basis. His body ached, and he grew frequently ill. Spring's life took another hit when the village was invaded by a group of pirates and translated into their turf. Under the reign of an unnamed pirate crew, Spring felt humiliated. He felt as though it should have been him with such authority over everyone else, yet he hadn't the power to enforce himself. As if their family problems hadn't been enough, the Spring family was forced to offer their earnings to the pirates in exchange for their lives. Every day proved to be an ever increasing struggle. Having the weakest skillset amongst the rest of the villagers, the Spring family was frequently in debt. When they were unable to meet the daily tax requirement, Spring's parents were slaughtered. It was then that Spring realized that nothing in life was ever guaranteed. One's life could take a hit at any time; no one got to choose what came next. Years went by, and Spring entered his teenage years still working in the mines. The only reason his life had been spared was because it had belonged to the captain of the pirate crew; without question, he became their slave, mining coal through the nights and abiding to their every command during the day time. Spring experienced the cruelty of pirates first hand in this instance. The way they celebrated after each and every one of their minor achievements; the way they treated those they viewed as their inferiors without respect; the way they punished him for his slightest of mistakes; Spring took note of it all. In the coming years, the island was visited by none other than the marines. The day of their arrival, Spring was in the middle of his daily punishment, his body being heavily abused when all of a sudden, a marine officer shot and killed the pirate responsible. For a boy who had grown accustomed to gunfire, he took little interest in such tragedies; rather, he took more notice of how they had come to save him, and the rest of the villagers. Since the destruction of the Sung Kingdom, no one had ever once stood up for him, his parents included. He experienced a slight change of heart, bearing feelings for these heroes who had taken down the evil tyranny that had reigned over him for so long. What came next was a phase of admiration. The marines had placed their presence upon the island; their flag could be seen throughout the lands. They came by quite frequently; having turned much of the island into their storage, they came to ensure their goods had been secured. On one of these trips, Spring mustered the courage to confront one of the officers, begging her to take him along with them. Stating that there was always room for another cadet, the officer allowed Spring on board, transporting him to a marine base along the way. Upon entering the training camps, Spring was further transported to North Blue. Trivia References Category:Humans Category:Male Characters Category:Swordsmen Category:Busoshoku Haki Users Category:Kenbunshoku Haki Users Category:World Government Workers Category:Logia Devil Fruit Users